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Daily Devotion: Deuteronomy 11:22-23

Deuteronomy 11:22-23    "For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;  (23)  Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves."

Billions of dollars are paid each year to people who claim to be able to teach you how to be successful. Some are legitimate. Some probably are not so legitimate.  What if I told you that I know the absolute and sure way to success?  What if I told you it would not cost you anything other than your time and your attention to applying these principles? Would you be interested? Let me share a bit of it this morning.

Notice our two verses today begin with the "If and then" conditional statements. The Lord said to Israel, "If you will, then I will."  It still applies to us today. If you do what I say, then the results will be successful.  Is that not the same advice that we hear from counselors of all walks of life? When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, my doctor said, "If you will do what I tell you and eat the right things, then this can be controlled. But if you don't do the things I tell you, then there will be consequences."   You see, there were the "If and Then" declarations.  

One of the most often quoted "If and Then" statements is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." We hear that a lot, don't we?  And it is an absolute truth. But it is a conditional statement that if we follow His instructions, then God is true to His part of the statement.  But if we notice something in today's passages of Scripture, we can see an "if and then" statement that would prevent us from having to fall back on 2 Chronicles 7:14.

If you will keep my commandments, then I will drive out the enemy and you shall possess the land.  You see, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a prescription for healing. Deuteronomy 11:22-23 is a step of prevention. Was it Ben Franklin who said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"? God repeated these words throughout the process of the law being given to the people: "that it might be well with thee."  When Moses died, Joshua was given the responsibility of leading the people. God spoke to him concerning the law, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:8)

There it is. I just reminded you, and me, of the path to success in life. These principles work no matter what course of life the Lord leads you. "Love the LORD your God. Walk in all His ways. Cleave (hold closely) to Him."  Then Jesus reminded us of the second great commandment, "Love thy neighbor as thyself."  If we will follow these commands, the Lord has promised success in life.

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